Newcastle United are just a matter of weeks away from revealing the next steps on the future of St James’ Park, the club’s iconic and historic stadium.
There are two main choices: revamp the current arena or move to a new custom-built site that the club promise would be close to the existing St James’ Park.
A third option, knocking down the stadium and rebuilding part or all of it on the footprint of St James’ Park, has been proposed in certain quarters.
A two-year feasibility study looking into the “art of the possible” around the project is finally reaching its conclusion. So what should happen next? The i Paper canvassed the opinions of prominent fans involved in the process and our own Northern Football Correspondent, who has followed this story closely.
It’s time to get real – and build on a new site
It’s time for Newcastle United’s ownership group to make a serious statement of intent.
The first three years of their stewardship – funded by significant cash injections from majority owners the Public Investment Fund (PIF) – have seen impressive, swift progress. Newcastle are a club transformed, underpinned by smart strategy and sharp minds in key positions. They are getting there.
But it is time to get real. If we are to take them seriously in their aim of disrupting Europe’s football elite then at some point they are going to need to take a quantum leap forward.
With suffocating financial fair play rules preventing them from doing that in the transfer market, the only area where Newcastle can invest freely to instantly bring them up to par with Europe’s biggest clubs is on the stadium project.
It is a decision that comes burdened by some tough questions though – potentially some of the hardest the football club has ever had to make.
Having spent years talking to architects and designers it’s clear that bolting things onto the current stadium is the hardest, most expensive and potentially least satisfying option. It maintains the history and heritage of the club but also the drag on potential capacity and facilities.
Knocking down and building a new stadium on the existing site is a good Plan B but a custom-built stadium in a new city centre location seems to me the best route forward.
I understand there will be outrage at the suggestion in some quarters. St James’ Park is special but what will come next can be just as spectacular if it’s approached with a fan-first philosophy. Bake in cheaper tickets, areas where atmosphere can be generated and consult with fans as a first and last priority.
And then let the architects get to work on constructing something that leaves a legacy for supporters to come, with potentially a 70,000 capacity and the option to go to more if the club continues to grow.
It is no time for half measures, this is the project of a lifetime.
Mark Douglas, Northern Football Correspondent, The i Paper
I’m torn – we need bigger ambition
I want to stay at St James’ Park at the current site but I’m a little bit torn. If they want to knock it down and build something new where we are I can live with that but it’ll depend on what we’re presented with. I’d hate to lose what we have if it was only going to be 10,000 or 15,000 more that was delivered.
This project has to be massive and ambitious. I think if we are to really see the extent of the ambition that PIF has for us then we need to something that is world-leading for Newcastle United – and that’s not just seats but it’s also facilities and the “wow” factor too.
I don’t think people realise how big Newcastle United’s fanbase really is. When I see people talking about the stadium question and proposing a revised capacity of 60,000-65,000 I just don’t think that is anywhere near enough.
A fortnight ago we sold out Bromley at home in the FA Cup at £30 a ticket. At the moment there is a lot of people who want to watch the football club who can’t and I think that – rather than commercial revenue questions or Profitability and Sustainability Regulations (PSR) – is the most important thing for the club.
So the first question for me on the stadium is: which option is going to be big enough for us?
I’m dead against the idea of moving out of the city centre to an NE3 postcode, to somewhere like Gosforth Park. The city centre location is part of what makes Newcastle United the club it is.
It’s time for the ownership group to show their hand now. It’s four years on from the takeover this year and we know planning in this country – building anything – takes a lot of time. So it could be five or six years until something is finished. We haven’t got that time if we’re serious about competing.
Alex Hurst, True Faith podcast
If we move away the damage could be irreparable
My preference would always be to stay at St James’ Park and do something really impressive with what we already have.
I’m not shut off entirely to alternatives but remaining in the city centre – the NE1 postcode – feels non-negotiable for me, not just because it is so important to Newcastle United but also because of what the club does for the city as a whole.
If we were to move away the damage could be irreparable to our city and local economy. I think, like every supporter, I just want to see what is possible now because it feels like it has been a long road to even get to this point but it’s a really exciting project.
If we can build our own version of the Borussia Dortmund yellow wall – and I know the club were very impressed with that when we played there last year – and keep a portion of tickets really affordable we can do something no other club in England has been able to do. That’s the message: dream big.
There are risks, of course. I look at what has happened at other clubs and I think we need to be careful what we wish for.
Tottenham and Arsenal have moved away or totally rebuilt their historic stadiums for something better but have they been able to recreate what they had at White Hart Lane or Highbury? When I speak to Spurs fans they say it’s not there yet.
I also think the motivation for the club needs to be getting as many fans into the ground as possible, especially younger supporters and affordable pricing. I’m a bit concerned that a lot of the conversation seems to be around PSR and how we maximise revenues – the real issue is fans being locked out of a 52,000 stadium.
As the co vice-chair of the Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust we’ll be pressing the club for some big conversations when they eventually reveal what the options are. Everything is potentially on the table – from increasing the standing area to ticket prices. This is the most important decision for a generation and the club need to get it right.
Adam Stoker, co vice-chair Newcastle United Supporters’ Trust
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